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'Mortgaging future': Infantino senior adviser quits
AP • August 1st, 2026 7:22 am
Gianni Infantino | Photo: AP
Senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, has resigned in protest at its private equity plan.
In another blow for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the world governing body's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, said staff had been "deceived" by the lack of openness.
"I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup," Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker, said in a Friday statement resigning as adviser to Infantino that urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.
"Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally," Cordeiro, the former US Soccer Federation president said, calling the $US20 billion ($NZ33.9bn) commercial subsidiary "a bad deal for football."
"Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away" he said. "That is why this proposal should be rejected."
Spain's football philosophy transformation
Infantino has proposed spinning off FIFA's commercial businesses — including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women — into a $US20 billion subsidiary with 20 percent owned by private investors.
The "anchor investor," described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
"FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources. The organisation sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt," Cordeiro said.
"Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football's most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion ($7.1b) makes little sense. It is mortgaging football's future without any compelling justification," he said.
Lamour, in a statement to Associated Press, said staff were "deceived" by Infantino's lack of openness planning the private investor scheme and "deserve better than contempt and intimidation."
Lamour added: "It is the project of one person. Not only must this project not go ahead … but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions."
Infantino has been president of FIFA for more than 10 years and had seemed sure to be reelected unopposed next March. FIFA have set a November 18 deadline for challengers to come forward.
FIFA said on Friday they would push ahead with consultations on a plan to bring private investment into the World Cup despite European football threatening a boycott and other regional confederations rebuking the scheme.
"We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA (Member Association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts," they said in a statement.
"Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain," they added.
